Definitions
I, you, personal name marker
Etymology
About
The character 麿 is a kokuji, invented in Japan rather than borrowed from Chinese. Structurally, it combines 麻 (má) above and 吕 (lǚ) below, used here for their phonetic values: the top component provides the sound "ma", and the bottom provides "ro", together forming the Japanese pronunciation "maro". Etymologically, it was created to write a classical Japanese first-person pronoun meaning "I" or "myself", used by nobility and court officials in ancient times. It also became a popular suffix in male given names, appearing frequently in historical texts and traditional naming conventions.